We were en-route to Onasaki that morning, however on the way we passed the shrine at Okawa Elementary School. The team had worked on the clearance of the area and stopped to pay their respects.

It was completely destroyed, killing 75 of 108 students and 10 of 13 teachers and staff. The teachers and students were evacuating from the school and were swept away by the tsunami while crossing a nearby river bridge.

You could see the part of the bridge ripped out by the tsunami still in the river.

Standing at the shrine I finally felt what had really happened to the people of Tohoku. Up until then I had not felt sad, or any real emotion as I was there to assist. But seeing the shrine, the parents still digging and coming to see the last place they saw their children alive bought it home.

In Onasaki the team was re-flooring houses, clearing out muddy belongings and re-instating a shrine gate. Onasaki was completely flooded, however the government is not restoring electricity and water to the area as now it is classed as at risk and they want to discourage people from re-building there.

Photos from the day:

So why not donate to the Tohoku tsunami effort with It’s Not Just Mud who’s continued efforts help the reconstruction of the areas affected by the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami we will all remember tomorrow.

Yes, the place is cleaner now and no longer a ‘disaster’ zone (donating to the red cross is useless BTW) but a blank zone, a space where peoples lives used to be. They want it back and need your help.

Volunteer, Donate, Just Do It.

For donations from UK:

If you are based in the UK and would like to donate to It’s Not Just Mud, the easiest way is via our fiscal sponsor Helping Hands for Japan.

Donations can be made via cheque payable to “Helping Hands for Japan” or bank transfer. Please mention that the donation is for “It’s Not Just Mud – Tohoku Volunteer Program”.Cheques can be mailed to:
Helping Hands for Japan
Wesley House
7 High Street
Kidlington
Oxford OX5 2DH
UK